Classical history, that most venerable of subjects, is most effectively narrated by British voices, the more cultivated the better. Mark Elstob fills that requirement with grace and precision, and with a composure that keeps the bloodier elements of ancient geopolitics at a comfortable distance. In historian and novelist Goldsworthy's history of the ancient West's most powerful rivals, he finds his thread in the expanse of time and geography covered, rather than in any strict timeline or chain of events. Ancient Persia is lesser known to most listeners, which gives this title a special interest, along with the excellent narration. Unmistakable, too, and profoundly moving, is the frequency with which so many of these ancient points of conflict reappear on the map of today's outbreaks.
Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
Duration: 20 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549135422
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
WORLD | MILITARY | HISTORY | GENERAL HISTORY | ANCIENT
This is history for the modern listener, clear, efficient, and reliable.
There’s something calming about listening to ancient history, as this well-researched audiobook amply demonstrates. Mark Elstob’s polished, quietly nuanced narration maintains distance and balance while giving full weight to the narrative’s many fine details. Elstob has narrated two of Goldsworthy’s previous audiobooks, companion histories of the long competition between Rome and Persia. He perfectly matches this prolific popular historian’s lucid and impartial narrative style and his knack for balancing a panoramic view with a close recreation of place and action. The long, contentious rivalry between Athens and Sparta turned victory over Persia into division and civil strife.
This is history for the modern listener, clear, efficient, and reliable.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 20 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549135439
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Author/narrator William Dalrymple shares his fascination with the remarkable history of India's profound worldwide intellectual influence. His idiosyncratic and charming British speech and manner, along with his amiability and intelligence, are engaging throughout. His pacing and phrasing are natural, unaffected, and dictated by the material. He varies longish pauses--which allow the listener to absorb the sometimes complex details--with shorter sentences expressing excitement. His emphasis and shading of words, and his occasional deeply felt reactions, mirror the sense of the text and, therefore, illuminate it. The clear, unpretentious narration that takes the listener through this wide-ranging story of the spread of Indian religion, art, philosophy, mathematics, and science makes for an educational pleasure.
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781639734689
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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